I
did not get serious about the concepts and fundamentals
of computer databases until about my fifth year in
the research business. After reaching the point at
which our paper files (we're talking late '70s folks)
had become an enormous hydra threatening to destroy
every vestige of our sanity, we invested in a rather
expensive Honeywell system and never looked back.
Fast forward to 1998. If you have a good look at
a lot of the software on the consumer and small business
market, you'll discover that every data tracking
and management program (and PDA application) has
at its core a database of some sort. A digital container
of some sort, with categories, points of reference,
searchable information and several other key factors
are the essential components of any database. The
degree to which all of those components can be customized
to suit the needs of any particular category of data
and your particular information access needs is what
sets one database program apart from another. HanDBase
seems to have been designed with one main factor
in mind, essentially that because no two people have
the exact same set of needs or views of any particular
body of data, it therefore makes sense to create
a product which anyone can use to create databases
precisely suited to their needs and views.

If
the thought or concept of databases chills you
into a technophobic seizure, relax for a moment
and remember that Kickstartnews tries at all times
to bring you reviews of products which will help,
not hinder, your productivity. In fact, HanDBase
is one of a rare breed: Jack of All Trades—Master
of Several! Now when was the last time you heard
a compliment like that? The simple truth is that
HanDBase can be used successfully by anyone from
a technically illiterate octogenarian who wants
to create a smart birthday and anniversary tracking
database, to a busy electrical contractor who wants
to have full control over service calls, work orders
and you-name-it. If you can think of a work or
data application which involves the creation of
organized lists of information, even if some of
the information has dependencies on the status
or presence of other information elsewhere in the
database, HanDBase will likely be one of the best
choices for Pocket PC or Palm OS PDAs.

I
initially installed HanDBase on a creaky old iPaq 3950
and a very zippy new-ish Dell Axim X51. The software ran
at (fast) identical speeds on both devices, which is not
surprising considering the somewhat small sizes of the
databases I created during the review period. On the other
hand, text-based databases (unless you get into sizes which
are normally outside what you'd expect to see and handle
on a PDA) are not exactly resource hungry. Even if you've
got a three or four year old Pocket PC, HanDBase should
run just fine. A database containing graphics and photos
will slow things down, but any Pocket PC PDA manufactured
in the last couple of years likely contains a processor
that can handle the load nicely.

After
perusing the enormous number of free HanDBase database
downloads on the DDH Software web site, I was not only
overwhelmed by the amount of completely free support
and content, I was also 'jazzed' about the remarkable
number of possibilities. That got me thinking seriously
about taking many of the programs I'm currently using
on my Audiovox PPC Smartphone and plugging the data into
a couple of HanDBase databases. So I installed the software
on the Audiovox and tried to trip up the database. The
first test (which in retrospect was kind of dumb) was
to move my contacts into a database that contained only
the data fields I normally use: call name, best contact
phone number, 2nd best contact number, placing the rest
of the contact information at the back of the record
(only three other fields actually). I wanted to see if
the phone dialer could pick up the phone number from
the appropriate field and dial it. Of course it worked
just fine, because once you select the correct field
format when creating the database in the first place,
any program which can access the field will read the
data properly. I proceeded with a number of other tests
before reminding myself that the review was supposed
to be about real-world use, not lab tests. So I then
spent about two hours on a Sunday evening entering data,
creating a total of three databases (contacts, to-do,
acquisition) which I started used the next morning.

As
of this writing, it has been three weeks and I'm not
looking back. It was a bit of an effort of will to break
some long-held habits, but I'm really delighted with
the changeover to HanDBase. The idea of having one program
capable of creating highly customizable databases to
suit almost all of my daily data and information management
needs is more appealing than ever. My personal use for
database software on the PDA has its limits. Your mileage
may vary. I could not begin to reach (let alone actually
see) the limits of HanDBase. Peruse the vast storehouse
of free databases (2,000 and counting) on the web site
and you'll see what I mean.

For
the technically inclined, and just in case you're wondering,
I had no trouble integrating HanDBase data with Microsoft
Access and Filemaker Pro databases on my main workstation.
I did not try (and I don't use) any other PC databases
on a regular basis, but DDH Software offers a desktop
conduit for ODBC databases as well. List and form printing
is easy enough because the print command communicates
through the default desktop conduit so that output can
be sent to the default printer connected to the desktop
PC. I don't normally do a lot of list or form printing,
but on the few occasions I tried it, the whole thing
worked without any problems. Databases can be stored
in main memory or on the storage card.

Cons: As
with any computer database, HanDBase sports a learning
curve. Keep in mind that the amazing and solid versatility
of this software absolutely demands that you concentrate
on clearly planning your initial database configuration
each time you actually create a new one. Of course you
can go back later on and correct mistakes. But making
decisions about what characteristics to assign to a data
field can be daunting for anyone who is new to this sort
of thing. Keep repeating to yourself, "It's better
to have something customized specifically to my needs," and
you'll feel better later. The UI is not as versatile
as it could be. For example, once you've created a database,
it would be nice to have a "New Record" selection
in the File menu in addition to the new record icon on
the bottom menu bar. I could wish for some visual enhancement
capabilities in the form designer to help add some zing
to the database you're designing—some color highlighting
controls would be nice. Does not yet take full advantage
of the gorgeous 480x640 resolution of the Axim X51.

Pros: Between
the amazing versatility of the software and the huge
selection of free database forms on the DDH web site,
it's almost impossible to think of a database application
that HanDBase can't accommodate. The bottom line is simply
that if you're someone who uses a PDA for contacts, appointments,
lists of all kinds, inventory, data storage, recipes
and so on, it's not only possible to use HanDBase to
create customized individual databases for all such needs,
but to also create handier and more useful databases
than those found in most of the standalone, third-party
programs and utilities already on the market. That's
a wonderful accomplishment and DDH Software really seems
to be leading this product category. Full search and
report query capabilities. Full printing capabilities.
Excellent compatibility with Microsoft Access. DDH software
provides a Runtime Tool which can be used to compile
a database you create into a standalone Palm OS or Pocket
PC program. I confess to having spent very little time
using this type of software on my PDAs over the years.
I also now confess to being a convert—I'm addicted
to HanDBase. After having spent a couple of hours creating
databases for my needs (among other things, I now have
the Memo Pad of my dreams) and entering existing data
into the new databases, finding everything from contacts,
old notes and you-name-it is child's play. Some of my
databases contain hundreds of individual records, a volume
of information which was becoming unwieldy without a
robust database application. My databases and I are feeling
much better now. DDH Software provides a solid set of
training videos and tutorials online to help you learn
to use HanDBase, Forms Designer and Conduits. Entering,
editing and querying data (I'm a research specialist
at heart) has never been easier. If you're willing to
spend some time reorganizing and customizing, you'll
be rewarded with faster access to and more efficient
use of all your data. Highly recommended.